


Gift :)

by Orbityyxy



Category: Fullmetal Alchemist - All Media Types
Genre: Gen, Parental Roy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-29
Updated: 2020-12-29
Packaged: 2021-03-10 20:07:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 960
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28412913
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Orbityyxy/pseuds/Orbityyxy
Summary: happy holidays Sarah! I hope you enjoy this! I'm sorry for any typos or errors!
Relationships: Edward Elric & Roy Mustang
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Gift :)

Colonel Roy Mustang combed his raven hair back yet again. He tilted his head in the mirror to assess the styling from all angles. His hair, along with the rest of his outfit, looked pristine. His military uniform freshly pressed and his stars and pins shining. He would need to be all that and more tonight.

Deciding he looked decent, Mustang left the lavish hotel room he was occupying in Central City. He crossed the hall and knocked on the door.

Lt. Riza Hawkeye pulled the door in, "You look good, sir," she greeted.

"As do you," the Colonel responded, "Is everyone else ready?"

Riza nodded, "Yes, let's meet them in the lobby."

The two descended the stairs into the spacious lobby of the hotel. Mustang’s team sat around a table, all looking their best. They sat fixing each other's uniforms and checking their reflections. Although they weren't the type to usually care about appearances much, they understood the weight of the event tonight. If things went well, this could be a solid step towards a transfer to central for the Colonel. 

His youngest subordinate, Edward sat awkwardly off to the side of the group. Surprisingly, he was actually properly dressed. Edward donned a suit, as State Alchemists were not always required to wear uniforms. Gone were his obscene leather pants and bright red coat, instead a formal suit and tie took its place, and his hair was neatly brushed back into a low ponytail. The 14 year old fidgeted with the glove covering his automail hand. He looked up when he heard Mustang and Hawkeye enter. He slowly stood up and approached his commanding officer.

“I hope it’s okay that I came,” Edward voiced, not meeting the older man's gaze. 

“Of course,” Mustang replied, a little off put by Edward’s unusually nervous behavior. 

Mustang hadn’t explicitly told Edward not to come, more implied that it would be forgiven if Fullmetal had failed to attend for any reason. Fullmetal didn’t have a great history of making the Colonel look good if past events were anything to go by. 

The group went to the large gala, being held at Central Command. Mustang puffed up his chest and turned up his charm, determined to network while he was in Central. 

He made casual small talk with the higher ups while keeping his eyes on his subordinates. Edward was on surprisingly good behavior. No attempting to steal liquor or arguing with other officers.

In fact, Edward entertained small talk and was engaging in polite conversation with soldier's from central. He managed to blend right in, not needing the center of attention as he usually did. Besides his short stature, he seemed just as mature as the other officers. 

Mustang was gliding from General to General, subtly mentionings his own accomplishments and complimenting the executives. He smiled when they mentioned Ishval; laughed when they brought up Fullmetal. 

Eventually Edward gravitated towards his commanding officer. He floated with the Colonel around the busy gala, greeting the higher ups respectfully and laughing when appropriate. 

"You must be the Fullmetal Alchemist," one general started, extending his hand. 

Edward shook it graciously, a big smile on his face, "Yes, sir. It's very nice to meet you, sir."

The General laughed at the flattery, "You're just like a mini Mustang, as if he'd had a son! Soon enough we'll have two of you Colonels running around the east." He compared with a hearty laugh.

Mustang laughed back, but he knew Edward well: being compared to the Colonel was not something the younger male would consider a compliment. Mustang watched Edwards automail fist clench, just marginally, giving away his true emotions as he quickly responded, "Not too soon," Edward chuckled back, "I still have a lot to learn under the Colonel," he said with a big grin.

Mustang's eyes widened, surprised with his subordinate's seemingly new found ability to act like an adult.

Later that evening, when the party was starting to wind down, and Mustang found a moment to himself, he approached Edward, "I didn't think you were going to be able to make it tonight."

Edward smoothed his suit jacket, "Yeah, well. I came."

"Yeah," Mustang smirked, "and you actually look presentable; I swear I even saw smiling a bit back there," he teased the blond.

Edward averted his gaze and blushed slightly, "I figured it was the least I could do, with everything you've done for me and my brother."

Mustang faltered. That was the closest to a thank you he ever received from the boy. An acknowledgement of how damn hard he worked to keep the ill tempered 14 year old and his brother safe. He was taken aback by the realization: that Edward had come out here, and put on his best show, for him. Because Edward appreciated what the Colonel had done for him. That Edward didn't hate the 'bastard' Colonel as much as he claimed. Mustang smiled, touched to be finally seeing some of the boy that wasn't the hyper-tough exterior he put up. 

However, Mustang sensed Edward's discomfort at actually opening up and changed the conversation tone back to light, "How did you possibly manage it? That was the best behavior I've seen from you all year," Mustang joked.

Edward sighed, appreciating the topic change, "Was not easy, that's for sure. I wanted to smack so many of them." The younger man flexed his fist for effect. 

Mustang rolled his eyes and gave his subordinate a small shove, "Yeah, like that Brigadier General who called you my son."

Edward shrugged and returned the playful push. "Eh, I've been called worse," he said with a small smile and Mustang realized that maybe Edward's reaction to the comment wasn't because he had been offended.


End file.
